CLINICAL ASPECTS OF MALARIA IN THE ASIR REGION, SAUDI-ARABIA

Three hundred and thirty-four cases of confirmed malaria seen in the A sir Central Hospital, Abha, in southwestern Saudi Arabia, were studied retrospectively. Two hundred and eighty-two of these (84.4%) were Sau dis and the majority (72.2%) were living in the lowlands of Tihama. Tr ansmission was found to occur throughout the year, with peaks followin g the rainy season and in the summer. In Saudis, falciparum malaria is more common than vivax (97.2% vs. 2.8%), while vivax malaria is more commonly seen in expatriates (46.2%). Poor response of falciparum mala ria to chloroquine was more prevalent in expatriates than in Saudis (4 6.4% vs. 23%). Most of the expatriates gave a history of recent travel to countries known to be endemic with resistant malaria. The possibil ity of the emergence of chloroquine-resistant malaria in the southwest ern region of Saudi Arabia was discussed.